The Justice Department said Tuesday it will appeal a court ruling from Monday which struck down the federal mask mandate for travelers if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concludes the order is still necessary.
Why it matters: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), as well as a number of airlines and travel companies, have lifted mask requirements since the federal judge's ruling. Some public health experts worry it's too soon, especially as Omicron subvariants continue to spread across the U.S.
Driving the news: Jerry Daniel Braun allegedly told the Uber driver during a trip to his hotel on Jan. 6, 2021 that he tore down a barricade at the Capitol. The encounter was recorded by the driver's dashboard-mounted camera; the footage ultimately allowed the FBI to track him down.
Driving the news: Many joyfully embraced Tuesday as the first full day of new mask freedom. But plenty are sticking with a practice that's now 2+ years old.
The Department of Education on Tuesday announced new steps to address "longstanding" and "inexcusable failures" in federal student loan programs.
Why it matters: As Axios previously reported, the move comes as the Biden administration is being pressured to take broader steps to cancel student debt. While the moratorium on federal student loan payments was extended through August, lawmakers are pushing for the White House to cancel $50,000 in debt per borrower.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s rule doubling the inspections for commercial trucks coming in from Mexico caused delays that cost the U.S. nearly $9 billion in gross domestic product, according to one analysis.
Driving the news: The rule, which Abbott has since rescinded, prompted fierce backlash and snarled cross-border traffic for days.
Why it matters: New Mexico has the highest percentage of Hispanics of any state. It's also dominated by Democrats, who control the governor's office, legislature, two U.S. Senate seats and two of three House seats. But a national, multi-year effort to recruit diverse, local GOP slates is showing results.
Grand Rapids' Police Chief on Monday identified the police officer who fatally shot Patrick Lyoya, a Black man, during a traffic stop earlier this month, AP reports.
Driving the news: "In the interest of transparency, to reduce ongoing speculation, and to avoid any further confusion, I am confirming the name already publicly circulating — Christopher Schurr — as the officer involved in the April 4 officer-involved shooting," police chief Eric Winstrom said in a statement, per AP.
Monday's court ruling striking down the federal traveler mask mandate was met with mixed reactions as companies scrambled to respond.
Driving the news: Several airlines — including the four largest in the U.S. — Uber, Lyft and Amtrak dropped their masking requirements following the Transportation Security Administration's announcement that it will no longer enforce a mandate.
The White House announced Tuesday that it has restored three "key" climate change protections to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) that had been dismantled during the Trump administration.
State of play: The protections require federal agencies to evaluate the climate impacts of the projects they are working on, as well as encouraging them to work with communities to "mitigate or avoid environmental harms by analyzing common sense alternatives."
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will use the stage at the Reagan Library in California tonight to warn against "teaching kids that they are oppressors" and appeal to gig workers including ride-share drivers and food deliverers, according to excerpts shared with Axios.
Driving the news: In a speech as part of the "Time for Choosing" conservative speakers' series, Scott will say he's proof of conservatism lifting Americans of color — and bash President Biden and Democrats over inflation and national security threats.
Why it matters: Scott, the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, is often mentioned as a prospective 2024 presidential candidate and is on just about every GOP hopeful's short list for VP.
He's also active in GOP efforts to attract more voters of color to the party.
What he's saying: "It was education, hard work, and faith that allowed my family to go from cotton to Congress in one lifetime," Scott says in the prepared remarks.
"Parents have a right to know what their kids are being taught in the classroom... teaching kids that they are oppressors is just as bad as teaching kids they are always going to be victims."
"President Reagan once said, 'Inflation is as violent as a mugger, as frightening as an armed robber and as deadly as a hit man... Democrats’ leadership has led to a 40-year high in inflation, and they’re still pouring more money on this crisis. That’s not good for moms making decisions in homes like the one I grew up in."
"President Biden’s weakness on the global stage has emboldened terrorists, bullies, and dictators ... Bloodthirsty dictators like Putin only understand strength, and that’s what we must project from the United States."
Scott will also call for energy independence, "a physical barrier on our southern border," and will take a swipe at the "The 1619 Project."
Flashback:Former Vice President Pence, in his own speech to the group last year, made headlines when he said the Constitution "affords the vice president no authority to reject or return electoral votes submitted to the Congress by the states."
Editor's note: The headline and story have been updated to clarify that Scott is addressing concerns in education broadly, not just criticism of public schools.
The U.S. will no longer test direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles in space because of the dangers of the space debris created by them, Vice President Kamala Harris announced at Vandenberg Space Force Base Monday.
Why it matters: Harris condemned Russia's ASAT test in November, which generated at least 1,500 pieces of debris that threatened the International Space Station and its crew and could go on to threaten other satellites.
There's something much worse than losing the House, and possibly the Senate, that's rattling top Democrats who are studying polling and election trends:
The big picture:It's the possibility of a re-elected President Trump with a compliant, filibuster-proof Senate majority in January 2025.
Amazon must reinstate a former warehouse worker who was fired after a protest against the e-commerce giant's working conditions at its Staten Island facility early in the pandemic, a judge ruled Monday. Amazon said it will appeal the ruling.
Why it matters: In his decision, administrative law judge Benjamin Green agreed with the National Labor Relations Board's findings that Gerald Bryson was fired for protesting safety conditions in April 2020, which he said was "unlawful." He ruled that Bryson was owed back pay for "discriminatory discharge."
A group of Georgia voters can proceed with their case against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that seeks to disqualify her from congressional office over her alleged involvement in the U.S. Capitol riot, a judge ruled Monday.
Why it matters: Trump loyalist Greene, who denies any wrongdoing, was seeking a temporary injunction against the lawsuit, arguing that the case was not likely to be resolved before Georgia's primary elections in May, per Reuters.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), chair of the House GOP conference, talks about inflation more than any other member of Congress — more than once a day, according to new data compiled by Quorum.
Why it matters: Since Jan. 1, 2022, Republican lawmakers have mentioned inflation six times more than their Democratic counterparts. They're focusing on it as President Biden gets hammered in the polls — and vulnerable Democrats fear getting sunk in the November midterms.
Some lawmakers and advocates are concerned anti-China rhetoric on the campaign trail will be weaponized against Asian Americans.
Why it matters: In manufacturing-heavy, battleground states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, both with primaries next month, blaming China is a tried-and-true way to appeal to workers who've seen jobs shipped overseas.
Congressional debate over the COMPETES Act, which addresses semiconductor production and competitiveness with China, also is driving much of the conversation.
Driving the news: "It’s us-vs.-them," Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), a U.S. Senate candidate, says in one ad driving concern on the Democratic side.
"China’s winning. Workers are losing," Ryan says in the ad, framing the fight as "capitalism versus communism. I’m not backing down. Are you?"
In Texas, Republican House candidate Shelley Luther tweeted that Chinese students, whom she called the "next generation of CCP leaders," should be banned from all Texas universities, per NBC News.
In Pennsylvania, Republican House contender Jim Bognet ran an ad saying, "We’ll make China pay for the lies they told, the jobs they stole and the lives we’ve lost."
In Wisconsin, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee took a more tepid tack. It ran an ad accusing Republican incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson of "rewarding companies that outsource to China."
What they're saying: The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus has issued guidance reminding politicians to "avoid xenophobic rhetoric" that exacerbates anti-Asian bigotry.
Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), CAPAC's vice chair, who's called for Ryan to take down his ad, told Axios that some of the rhetoric campaigns are using this year "borders on fearmongering."
She said it's important to acknowledge "challenges in the U.S.-China relationship" but when rhetoric puts a "target on our backs ... Asians in the United States end up paying the price: We are scapegoated simply because of our skin."
Ryan told Axios in a statement that the "recent rise in violence against Asian Americans is unacceptable."
He emphasized that his ad sounds "the alarm on China's Communist government, which has subsidized major industries and manipulated their currency to displace workers here in Ohio."
What we're watching: Biden administration officials also are grappling with how to separate their critiques of other governments from the individual citizens of those countries.
CIA Director William Burns, appearing in Georgia last Thursday, emphasized the U.S. concern is with the People's Republic of China — not the people of China. "It is a profound mistake to conflate the two," he said.
Joe Biden is about to start raising money on the road for the first time in his presidency, headlining fundraisers on Thursday in Portland, Ore., and Seattle for the Democratic National Committee, sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: The pandemic has severely constricted Biden’s in-person ability to raise money, thank donors and motivate them to give more. Vaccinations, declining rates of severe illness and relaxations on gatherings make the turn possible. Rising inflation and tanking poll numbers make it necessary.
